How to Obtain Work Permit for Foreign Employees in Vietnam ?

Work permit in Vietnam is issued by the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs. It is valid for a period of 24 months (2 years). After its expiration, foreigners have to re-apply for a renewal permit.

Pursuant Vietnam Labor Law, Decree 105/2003/NĐ-CP:

The requirements for who would like to apply work permit:

1. Over 18 years or more.

2. Being physically fit to the working requirements.

3. Possessing high professional or technical qualifications (including engineers or people with equivalent degrees; craftsmen of traditional crafts), having many years of experience in the profession, production administration, management or managerial jobs, which Vietnamese laborers have not yet been able to perform.

4. Having no criminal records on the crime of infringement upon national security as provided by Vietnamese laws; having no criminal records of other crimes; not being prosecuted for penal liability, serving penalties or other criminal records that have not yet remitted under the Vietnamese and foreign laws.

5. Possessing work permits, for foreign laborers working in Vietnam for fully 3 (three) months or longer, granted by competent Vietnamese State bodies, except for the cases that require no work permits as prescribed in Clause 1, Article 6 of this Degree.

The dossier to apply for Work Permit:

Job application dossiers: A foreign emloyer shall submit 2 (two) dossier sets to the employer, one of which shall be managed by the employer and the other used by the employer to carry out the procedures of applying for a work permit. A dossier set comprises:

a/ The job application;

b/ The judicial history card granted by a competent authority in which the employee resides. When the employee has resided in Vietnam for 6 (six) months or longer, apart from the judicial history card granted by a foreign competent authority, there must be another judicial history card granted by the Justice Department of Vietnam;

c/ Resume of foreign labor made according to a form set by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs with a photo attached;

d/ Certificate of the Ministry of Public Health granted in the foreign country. When the foreign labor is residing in Vietnam, this certificate must be granted under the regulations of the Ministry of Public Health issued by Vietnam;

e/ Copies of the foreign labor's Professional Qualification and/or Skill Certificates, including the university, equivalent- or higher level diploma, or the Skill Certificate, granted by competent authorities according to the regulations of such foreign country.

For foreign labors being craftsmen of traditional crafts, or persons having experiences in the professions, production administration or management but have no certificates thereof, they must acquire remarks on their professional, skill and managerial qualifications, certified by competent authorities of the country in which he/ she is a citizen;

The above papers prescribed in the dossiers, which are granted, notarized or authenticated by foreign authorities, consularly legalized under the Vietnamese law and translated into Vietnamese. The translations and copies thereof must be notarized according to Vietnamese law.

What we can help you:

Advise on detailed legal procedures

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